


Roses of Winter

by epitaphofroses



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:21:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27623969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epitaphofroses/pseuds/epitaphofroses
Summary: Marluxia is a 23 year-old college student primarily studying botany. Vexen is his 40 year-old advanced chemistry professor. When Marluxia works on a project with the 20 year-old Zexion, he discovers that he'll be working in close quarters with his favorite professor-in his very house, in fact! And when a snowstorm leaves Marluxia and Vexen stranded alone in the house, there's no telling what might happen.
Relationships: Demyx/Saïx (Kingdom Hearts), Marluxia/Vexen (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Frigid Petals

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, I'm writing yet another Kingdom Hearts fanfiction because I have no self control. This one has nothing to do with ocs or self inserts, so no worries there! It is going to be as long of a slow burn as I can manage, because I don't have a lot of practice writing those and I feel like I should work on it. 
> 
> I have Saix and Demyx as a couple in the tags, but the story is mainly revolving around Marluxia and Vexen, so the DemSai will just be filler for the most part.

It was a cold winter morning for the students and professors of Northern Shadow Ridge, including Marluxia and his best friend Larxene, who were making their way to their science class. Larxene was bundled up heavily against the cold, and cussed out the snow. Marluxia, however, was dressed more simply, in a dark coat that reached his knees, and a grey scarf around his neck. He gave Larxene a teasing sort of smile.  
“It’s really not so bad, you know.” He said in his airy voice. “Snow is somewhat magical, and very romantic.”  
“You’re the only one that thinks so!”  
In the classroom, their professor Vexen was looking out the window. He rather enjoyed the cold, and as students started filling in the room, he pulled himself away from the window.  
“Today we’ll be forming teams of three, and one pair of two to work on a project for the end of term.”  
Larxene nudged Marluxia who rolled his eyes. They always worked together, but if they needed a third person, then...He ignored her trying to get his attention, and wrote the project requirements in his notebook next to the little doodles he’d done of their professor. He’d always thought that the successful blond was attractive, and finally being in his class was almost torture for him. He was doing well enough in the class, but it was always hard to keep from daydreaming.  
“I will be giving you your assigned teams now.”  
These words brought forth a collective groan from the class.  
“Yes, yes, I’m terrible. Now as for your groups…”  
Larxene was teamed with Saix and Demyx, both of the boys were from their own grade, and she was relieved to be working with people she knew, though she shot Marluxia an apologetic look. His name was called last, and he was part of the pair. He’d be working with Zexion.   
He couldn’t help but look down at the freshman sitting in the front of the room. He was the only freshman in the class, and he was always quiet. He didn’t really seem to have very many friends, and Marluxia didn’t know very much about him.  
“Now, get into your groups to figure out your project subject. Tomorrow we’ll be starting the next chapter, so if your homework for this chapter isn’t turned in by then, I won’t be taking it at all. You will have two class days next week to work on your projects, but otherwise I expect you to find other time to complete them.”  
Marluxia moved down to the empty seat next to Zexion, and smiled at him. “Hey, looks like we’ll be partners. Why don’t we trade numbers so we can keep in touch about the project?”  
Zexion nodded a little. He seemed a bit shy. He pulled out his plain silver phone, and traded it for Marluxia’s sparkly pink one. It had a dangling rose charm on it.   
“This is cute…” The silver-haired man couldn’t help but comment.  
Marluxia looked over, then grinned. “Yeah, isn’t it? I just had to get it.”   
The two traded their phones back, and discussed the options for the project. They finally settled on one they both liked right before the bell rang.   
“I’ll text you later to find a place we can work together, okay?” Marluxia asked and Zexion nodded.   
“Hey! Remember to turn this chapter’s work in tomorrow or it won’t be counted!” Vexen shouted as the class erupted into chatting and rummaging as they all packed up to leave.   
Marluxia sat in the courtyard at lunch, eating a salad and watching the snowflakes fall. Larxene sat next to him.   
“Why can’t we eat inside? It’s fucking freezing out here!”  
“So go inside.”  
Marluxia pulled his phone out and sent a message.   
“Who are you texting?”  
“Zexion. I wanted to make sure his number works.”  
That evening, Marluxia went home to the usual shouting, and his father throwing things as his mother tried to stay out of his way. His teenage sister gave him a welcome home from behind her bedroom door. He locked himself in his room, and pulled out his phone. He’d finally gotten a response.   
Z : Yeah, my number works. Where were you planning on working on our project? Maybe your house?  
M : My place is no good, sorry. We could go to the library in town.  
It took Zexion a while to answer.  
Z: I don’t know if that’s such a great idea. Why don’t you come over to my house? I’ll send you the address, and we’ll have snacks.  
Marluxia listened to the screams, and crashes in the kitchen. They always fought when his father was drunk, and lately he’d been coming home drunk a lot.   
M: Yeah, okay. Just let me drive my sister to her friend’s house and then I’ll be there.   
His sister was happy to get out of the house, and Marluxia gave her a hug before she got out of the car. “I’ll pick you up Sunday morning, okay? Then we’ll work on your homework.”  
“Okay! Thanks Marly! Love you!” She ran inside, and Marluxia smiled a little before sighing.  
He didn’t like it when his parents fought. It wasn’t fair. Tears slipped down his face. It was like his dad didn’t even care about any of them anymore, but the cops wouldn’t do anything because there were no physical marks. He calmed himself, then input Zexion’s address in his GPS.  
The house was large, and clearly old. It was gorgeous, and Marluxia pushed his pink bangs out of his face to really take it all in as he started up the front steps. He rang the doorbell, and flushed when the door opened.   
“P-Professor? Ah, did I get the address wrong?”   
Zexion squeezed past his father. “Come on, we can work in the kitchen. Do you want to order pizza?”  
Marluxia was at a loss for words as Zexion grabbed his arm and pulled him into the house.   
“Hang your coat and scarf here, and if you want to take your shoes off they go here.”  
Marluxia did as directed, but he was shaking a little because he was keenly aware of Vexen’s eyes on him. “I um...I’m a vegetarian, so..”  
“Oh, that’s okay. We eat pretty eclectic, so vegetarian is fine with us, right dad?”  
Vexen finally spoke. “Yes. I have some papers to grade, but I’ll be down later."  
Marluxia followed Zexion to the kitchen, where he’d already started setting up for the project, and he sat at the table with him. “So Professor Vexen is your father?”  
“Yeah. He’s a little stern, but he gives me pretty much anything I could want.”   
They worked for a while, and when the pizza arrived, Vexen joined them in the kitchen. He wasn’t wearing the clothes he wore at school. He was in a soft-looking grey sweater, and his hair was pulled back. Glasses were perched on his nose. Marluxia’s heart did flips. Never had his professor looked so appealing. And when Zexion started to joke and Vexen laughed, Marluxia laughed along too. He couldn’t help but think about how the blond was less than arm’s length away. He could just reach out and cup his face. Kiss him.   
“Erm, where’s the bathroom?” He asked, standing.  
Zexion directed him upstairs, and Marluxia excused himself. He made sure the door was locked, and sat on the edge of the cold tub, holding his burning face in his hands. He felt like screaming. This was even worse than the classroom! How was he supposed to do this project when the man he was into was just a few rooms away?! A knock startled him.  
“Hey, do you want to stay for dessert? We’ve got cookies and ice cream. We usually watch game shows, too.”   
“Uh...sure!”  
Vexen was sitting in the middle of the couch when Marluxia and Zexion came down. The coffee table had several kinds of cookies, and next to it there was a cooler, presumably with the ice cream. There were bowls and spoons sitting there, too. But Marluxia was a bit more focused on the fact that unless he sat on the floor, he’d be sitting next to Vexen, which he did. He sat as far away as he could, but even then their arms were still brushing against each other every time one of them moved.  
Marluxia enjoyed the comfortable family setting here. He felt...safe. It was warm, and Vexen very clearly cared for his son. He didn’t want to leave, but he felt it would be strange to stay any longer, so he stood, and stretched.   
“Leaving?” Vexen’s voice made Marluxia shiver.   
“Yeah, I should be getting home. I’ve got other classes that give homework. Um...thank you for your hospitality.” He bowed to the two. “I look forward to working with you further, Zexion.”  
“Yeah, me too.”   
Zexion walked him to the door, and gave him a grin. “You’re the first person that my dad hasn’t scared away before pizza.”  
“Oh...Haha, Professor Vexen doesn’t scare me. And...he definitely cares about you a lot. It’s nice to see.” Marluxia smiled a little. “Anyway...should I come over tomorrow, too?”  
“Hm...yeah, that’d be nice! If you come over in the morning we can work until two. I have an appointment. See you tomorrow, Marluxia!”  
“Oh, if you have an appointment, we can do it another day--”  
“No! You should definitely come tomorrow.”  
“Well...okay. If you’re sure. See you.”  
Marluxia got in his car, and Vexen came up to his son. He patted his head. “Goodnight, Zexion. Please don’t stay up too late.”  
“I won’t.”  
Marluxia was marginally relieved to see that his father’s car wasn’t in the driveway when he made it home, but that just meant that he’d be coming back from a bar in the middle of the night. There would be more of it then. He took advantage of the quiet in the house to do the rest of his schoolwork, listening to some CD Larxene had given him for his birthday the year before. His birthday… He glanced at the calendar above his bed, setting his pen down. He got out of his desk chair and stretched. He touched the page. A month away… He wondered if his dad would even remember.   
He switched off his stereo, and threw himself into bed. He ran his hands over his face. He bet Vexen never forgets Zexion’s birthday. Even if it’s just the two of them...They’re clearly a good family. Thinking of Vexen reminded him of earlier, how close they were on the couch.   
He pulled his pillow over his face. He wished they could have been even closer. This was ridiculous. He heard a car door slam and he sat up, grabbing his headphones and phone. He turned the volume up high as it went, but he could still hear his father’s yells. It was another sleepless night for the man. Tears slipped down his face as he heard his father screaming at his mother about how he looked.  
“Pink hair? People are going to think he’s gay! Make him change it! I’m not going to have some fucking fairy boy in my house.”  
The tears kept coming until he was sobbing. He knew if he ever came out that he’d have to leave. And how could he admit it aloud when it was only the last year he’d allowed himself to think it. That he was gay. That he loved another man. He knew it was wrong, he’d been to church often enough in his youth. But how could he deny it with the way his heart fluttered whenever he was in Vexen’s class, or the fact that…  
Eventually he cried himself to sleep, and only awoke when his phone started ringing.


	2. Frosted Thorns

Marluxia rang the doorbell when he arrived to work on his project with Zexion. Larxene had called him to complain that all Demyx and Saix did was make out and how she was the only one doing any work.  
“Serves you right for always making me do everything.” He’d told her, “Actually, I have to go to Zexion’s house again, so I’ll call you later.”  
“Oooh, give me details!”  
He’d hung up, and then taken a quick shower and hurried over.  
Now Vexen was opening the door. He was in a robe. “Ah, Marluxia…”  
“Sorry, I’m here really early, aren’t I?” He did his best not to look at Vexen so much. His stomach was still churning from the night before.  
“It’s alright. Zexion has been waiting for you to arrive, actually. Would you like some coffee? You don’t look all that well.”  
Having Vexen worry about made his head spin. “Yeah, coffee would be great. I just...didn’t get a lot of sleep.”  
He followed his professor to the kitchen, where indeed, Zexion was sitting with their project. Vexen went about, pouring a cup of coffee for the man. He passed it over, and Marluxia thanked him, taking a drink.  
“Not at all. Would you like breakfast? I’m guessing you haven’t eaten, and I know Zexion hasn’t yet. Do you eat eggs?”  
“Um...if you’re already making it, I guess. And yeah, I eat eggs.”  
The three of them ate the breakfast of eggs, toast, and fruit together. Vexen and Marluxia were drinking coffee as Zexion sipped at orange juice. After breakfast, Vexen left the kitchen, and the two young men got to work on their project. At about one thirty, Vexen came down, telling them to finish up that part.  
“Your appointment, Zexion. You should get going soon.”  
“Hey, I can finish this if you want to just go.” Marluxia suggested, and Zexion gave him a grateful smile.  
The man left, and Vexen took a seat at the table, watching Marluxia work for a while. He was proud that he didn’t shake so much, but he did feel very nervous.  
“You should know that I don’t really let my son date.”  
“What?” Marluxia dropped the beaker of water, which thankfully didn’t break, but it did spill all over. Marluxia leapt to grab the papers so they didn’t get soaked, and Vexen got a towel and helped clean it up.  
“I didn’t mean to startle you, I simply thought…”  
“No, I’m not-- I um…”  
“I see, so you’re not gay. I’m sorry for assuming.”  
“I…” Marluxia closed his eyes for a moment. His body felt like it was swaying, though he was standing perfectly still. “I am...I am gay…” He whispered it through a choked up throat, and tears welled in his eyes. He cleared his throat and forced himself to calm. “I just...I don’t have a crush on Zexion!”  
“Ah...Hm. Are you alright…?”  
Vexen reached out, putting his hand on Marluxia’s arm, and it made him want to cry even harder, but he fought against the tears the best he could. “My father is going to kill me if he finds out...I’m so scared…”  
The elder man’s eyes widened, and he did the only thing he could think, in the spur of the moment. He put his arms around Marluxia, letting him cry into his sweater. “It’s alright. I won’t tell him.”  
It felt like a long time that Marluxia was there, buried in Vexen’s chest, and he couldn’t even really enjoy it. He pulled away, though Vexen looked at him with concern in his eyes, green as grass, and he debated going back into the hug. He steeled himself though.  
“I’ve...never said it before. I haven’t even told Larxene…” He mumbled. “I’m sure she knows, but…”  
Vexen nodded, patting Marluxia’s arm gently. “It’s alright.” He thought for a moment. “If you ever just need someone to talk to, I do have office hours.”  
“Thank...thank you Professor...I...I need to get home.” He left quickly, and Vexen watched him go.  
With how nervous Marluxia had seemed yesterday, he’d been so sure, but he didn’t doubt the man’s words. Not into Zexion...Hm. Vexen finally decided he must have just been thrown off by having his teacher there.  
Marluxia pulled into the driveway slowly. “What the hell…?”  
There were boxes all over the front yard, mostly stacked into neat piles, but some of them were knocked over with clothes spilling out. As he got out of the car, his mom came out of the house with another box.  
“Mom!”  
She turned and gave him a smile as he ran over.  
“Mom, what’s all of this? What’s going on?”  
“I’ve had enough. I’m kicking your father out. Now, put your car in the garage and lock it, and go inside before he gets home.”  
Marluxia stared at his mother in amazement. Rose really was the strongest woman he’d ever met. She went back inside and he hurried to get his car in the garage. He locked the door just in time because he could hear his dad’s car pull up. Rose popped her head into the door that connected the garage and the house.  
“Come on sweetie. Hurry now, before he starts his yelling.”  
He walked up to his mom and hugged her tightly. “You’re amazing, mom.”  
SHe smiled and pet his hair. “I should have done it so much sooner, but I thought as long as he was just threatening me it would be alright. No one is going to talk badly about my son. He’s perfect, just the way he is.”  
Marluxia smiled and tears filled his eyes. “Thanks mom.”  
They went into the house together, Marluxia went and made some tea. They sat together in the living room, listening to his father rage outside, trying every door with his key, which reminded Rose to hand Marluxia a key.  
“Here, for the new locks. Do you know where your sister is?”  
“Yeah, I took her to her friend’s house last night. I’m picking her up tomorrow.”  
“Oh, good. I was worried when I didn’t see her.”  
On Monday, Marluxia was pretty tired, but he was in better spirits than usual. The cops had come to the house, and since it was in his mom’s name, his dad had no legal right to stay there. She was working on a restraining order, too.  
Vexen surprised the class with a new seating chart, and Marluxia moved up to sit next to Zexion, with Larxene, muttering complaints in his ear on his other side. Marluxia couldn’t help but remember the embrace he’d shared with Vexen when he saw his face. He felt mildly embarrassed about the crying, but Vexen made no move to show he remembered it happening until after class, when he approached Marluxia’s desk.  
“Are you going to be utilizing my office hours?” His tone was professional but Marluxia felt he could note the concern under it, and the confused look from Zexion confirmed it.  
“Yes, Professor. There were a few things I wanted to go over.”  
Vexen nodded once, and walked away.  
Marluxia turned to Zexion. “Hey, why don’t you have lunch with us today?”  
“It’s not worth it. He’ll make you eat in the freezing courtyard.” Larxene piped in before Zexion could answer.  
“Oh, I wish I could, but I don’t actually have lunch on campus.” He smiled regretfully, slipping his bag over his shoulder. “And I have stuff to do tonight, so you can’t come over unfortunately!”  
Marluxia watched him walk away, waiting for Larxene. They went their different directions, grabbing their lunches, then met back in the courtyard.  
“You never called me, what the hell?”  
“Oh shit...yeah I’m so sorry. This weekend has been a little crazy. My mom kicked my dad out, and we’ve been dealing with that for a while.”  
Larxene’s expression went from annoyed to concerned quickly. “Oh god...I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”  
Marluxia shook his head. Larxene knew most of it, he’d told her about the fights. She didn’t need to know that the reason his mom had enough was because his dad threatened to kick him out for even looking like he might be gay. “Guess she just had enough of him.”  
“Well, it’s about time. Hey, so what happened with Zexion?”  
“Mmm..nothing special. We just worked on our project until his appointment, and then I talked with Vexen for a while before going home.”  
“Vexen? As in Professor Vexen? What was he doing there?”  
Marluxia laughed. “I’m glad I’m not the only one that didn’t know. Apparently it’s common knowledge, but Zexion is his son.”  
Larxene whistled. “So you’ve got him breathing down your neck, barking at you if you get anything wrong? That sucks.”  
“Actually, he’s pretty cool. I had a bit of a breakdown and he was really..comforting. It was nice.”  
“Oh my god. Marluxia, please tell me you don’t have a crush on the worst looking professor in the school.”  
When he didn’t respond in any way, Larxene let out a groan. “You’re wasting your looks. And your time! He’s all work work work. He’d never give you the time of day.”  
“Hey...is it really that obvious that I’m gay?” His voice was quiet, and he was looking out across the snowy courtyard.  
“Huh? I mean...We had that sleepover...and I gave you so many opportunities to mess around. I just kind of figured it out then.”  
Marluxia nodded a little. “He thought I had a crush on Zexion.”  
Larxene couldn’t help but laugh.  
After school was over, Marluxia had some time to kill before Vexen’s office hours actually started, so he decided to hang out in the parking lot with Saix and Demyx. Saix was in a bunch of sports, and Demyx was on the swim team. They were the most popular couple in the school, and were very open about their relationship.  
The three of them chatted for a while, but Demyx had to go to a swim meet. He gave Saix a kiss, and then waved at the two of them. As Marluxia and Saix stood, Marluxia caught sight of someone coming towards them.  
“Oh shit...it’s my dad.”  
“...I’m going to go get someone.”  
Saix raced off, leaving Marluxia to take the brunt of his father’s wrath alone. The man was clearly drunk.  
“You. I don’t want you hanging around with people like them anymore. And get that pink shit out of your hair.”  
Marluxia grit his teeth. “I’ll hang out with my friends if I want to.”  
Vexen came out of the school in time to see Marluxia’s father punch him in the face. As Marluxia fell, and his father shouted about how a real man would fight back, Vexen felt rage like he never had before. He walked over and grabbed the man’s arm before he could hit Marluxia again.  
“Keep your hands off my student.” He warned.  
The man simply laughed. “And what are you going to do?”  
It wasn’t much time at all before Vexen had the man in a headlock. He looked down at Marluxia, sitting on the pavement and staring up at him with an expression of admiration. His nose and lip were bleeding.  
“Saix got you…?”  
“Saix?” He blanked for a minute. “No. You didn’t show up, I was leaving…”  
Saix came along then, with the school’s policeman. There were quick statements, and then Vexen took Marluxia to the school nurse as Marluxia’s father was put in handcuffs.


	3. Iced Leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that I don't have a real posting schedule yet on this, but since I have so many chapters written, I'll be posting one every couple of days until I catch up to myself.

It was the day before Christmas break. Zexion and Marluxia had finished their project the previous Saturday, and Marluxia hadn’t been back to their house since. He was starting to sleep a lot more. His mother said that she thought he was depressed. Maybe. He hadn’t spoken much to Vexen recently, and he approached the man’s office. Office hours were in session, so he knocked.   
“Come in.” Vexen was sitting at his desk, grading papers. His glasses were on the end of his nose, and he looked up when Marluxia came in.  
“I never got to properly thank you before, so thank you for protecting me, professor.” He bowed to the man, who sat back.   
He wasn’t exactly smiling, but the gesture made Vexen feel a bit lighter. It was strange seeing the younger man alone now. He was still trying to sort out why he’d felt the way he did that day, but he couldn’t deny that...He missed Marluxia coming over. He told himself that it was because he was grateful his son finally had a friend he could bring over that didn’t run off, but deep down he knew that wasn’t the reason.   
“I just did what anyone would do. You were in danger, so I helped you.”  
“You saved me. I...I told him…I thought he was going to kill me right there, but then you came out…” Marluxia didn’t cry this time, but he was shaking.  
Vexen came around the desk and hugged Marluxia like he’d done before. Marluxia brought his arms up and squeezed the other as tightly as he dared, and Vexen offered no complaints. Marluxia breathed in, and he loved the way that the scent of winter clung to Vexen’s skin. Neither of them moved for a while, not until there was a knock at the door. They moved apart, and Vexen opened the door.   
“Ah, hello Zexion. Would you like to invite your friend Marluxia to our Christmas celebration?” He gestured behind him, where Marluxia waved.  
“Marluxia, do you want to come over in two days? We’re going to decorate our tree, and do a bunch of baking. It’ll be great.”  
Marluxia smiled. “I’d love to.”   
Marluxia showed up at Vexen’s house two days later with a tray of cookies his mother had made. He rang the doorbell, and this time Zexion was the one that answered the door.  
“These are from my mom. She says that next time she wants to come, too.”   
Zexion laughed, and let Marluxia inside. They went to the kitchen. There was a CD player on the counter, and it was playing Christmas songs. Vexen was stirring a bowl, and he looked up, giving Marluxia a smile.   
“Do you like eggnog?”  
“Um, yeah, I guess so.”  
“You are of legal drinking age, correct?”   
“Yeah, I’m 23, almost 24.”   
“Ah good, then I won’t be drinking alone.”  
“Wait, I can’t drink! I have to drive home!”  
“I guess you’ll just have to stay the night.”   
Marluxia’s heart leapt at the look Vexen shot him. It was warm, and the smile was rather enticing.   
“What about Zexion?”  
“I can’t drink, I’m only 20. But I think you two should have fun. I’ll stick with my hot chocolate.” He grinned as he ducked into the living room, where Marluxia could see a gorgeous silver pine.   
Vexen handed him a glass full of eggnog and Marluxia, not wanting to be rude, took a sip. It was delicious, way better than any other eggnog he’d tasted. He didn’t mean to drink it so quickly, but before he knew it, Vexen was filling his glass again.   
“This is delicious, professor!”  
“Please, why don’t you just call me Vexen? I think you’re close enough with Zexion to think of me as his father before being your professor, especially at a time like this.” Vexen picked up his own glass. It was clear that he was a few glasses in himself, particularly in the affectionate way he reached out and ruffled his son’s hair when he and Marluxia followed Zexion into the living room.   
Marluxia helped them with their decorating, and soon the living room was a tinsel-filled wonderland. He and Vexen finished the eggnog in almost no time at all, leaving Zexion to do the rest of the work by himself. They sat at the table in the kitchen, laughing and joking, while Zexion playful grumbled.  
“If I knew you were just going to get drunk with my dad, I wouldn’t have invited you!”  
Vexen got up, stumbling a bit, and excused himself to leave. Marluxia watched him go.  
“Zexion, can I tell you something? You have to swear not to tell anyone else though.”  
Zexion blinked. “Ah. Sure, okay. I swear.”  
“I think I’m in love with your dad.”  
Zexion just looked at Marluxia for a while, who worried that Zexion was angry or judging him. “I think you are, too, and honestly...I think he could use someone like you. Especially when...well, nevermind.”  
Vexen came back down, and Zexion easily steered the conversation to fudge instead. Marluxia of course stole some to sample, and Zexion pretended to hit him with the spoon. Marluxia offered Vexen a piece, and shivered when their hands touched as he took it.   
They all went to bed shortly after that, Zexion guiding Marluxia to the guest room that had been made up since they knew he was coming. Marluxia passed out. He woke in the middle of the night, and stumbled to the bathroom, forgetting he wasn’t at home. He looked around himself, confused, then flushed darkly when he noticed that Vexen was lying on the bed, just beside the open doorway, and where Marluxia was standing.  
Marluxia couldn’t help but lean down to kiss his cheek, hesitating a moment to breathe in the scent of his skin near his jaw, and then planting another on his lips. He left after that, shutting the door behind him. He let out a breath. Vexen’s lips had been quite soft, and warm, too. He made his way to the actual bathroom now, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Vexen. About how it would feel to kiss him while he was awake, and hold him like before. Marluxia groaned a little. He didn’t want to do that in someone else’s house, but...If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He grabbed some tissue, then headed out of the bathroom, bumping into Vexen who had been about to open the door.  
“Oh!” Marluxia flushed even more. Had the man been awake when he went in there?   
“Sorry…” Vexen pushed his hair back and moved to the side so Marluxia could get past, and he noticed then that Vexen wasn’t wearing a shirt.  
Though he longed to stay and stare, he hurried off down the hall, letting out a noise like a squeak when Vexen bid him a good night.  
“You too-!” He called back, then ducked into the guest room and laid down.  
It took Vexen a moment, and then he turned to look at where Marluxia had disappeared. There wasn’t any possible way that had been...no. He was surely imagining things.


	4. Chilled Roots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking that Thursdays are a good day for chapter releases, so the schedule will be starting this week.

In the morning, Zexion offered for Marluxia to stay for three weeks at the house.   
“It’ll be really nice for someone else to be here. Christmas break is usually pretty lonely.” He smiled at Marluxia, a far away look in his eye.  
“I’ll see if my mom has anything planned. I’ll text you.”   
“If you’re coming, come back later tonight, okay?”  
“Yeah.”  
Marluxia’s mom was excited to get to have a girl’s getaway with his sister and one of her friends, a lovely woman really. She was a high end African American fashion designer who often went to shows in France and Italy. Rose and Keeya had met at the zoo, where Rose worked as a zookeeper, and Keeya had been getting inspiration for an animal-based fashion line. As it turned out, Keeya had invited the girls to go to Paris for a show over Christmas break, but Rose had been hesitant. Marluxia encouraged her to go.  
“Really, next time I want to meet this professor of yours, and his son.”  
“There’s always conferences, mom.”  
So they all went about packing for their trips. Marluxia glanced at his laptop bag and felt a twinge of guilt. In all the chaos of the last few weeks, he hadn’t gotten much of a chance for his commission work. It was his biggest source of income, though he did also have a job in the campus’ cafeteria.   
He hoisted it over his shoulder, and pulled out his phone to text Zexion that he’d be able to come over. He glanced at the clock. It should be late enough to go over there, right? Packing had taken him quite a bit of the day. He didn’t want to dress too casually in front of Vexen, but that warred with him wanting to wear stuff that was more comfortable.   
When he arrived at the house, there was no one home, so he sat on the porch swing to wait. Vexen drove up after a while, and got out of his car. He seemed...sad. He looked up, spying Marluxia’s car, and his brow creased. He looked up, seeing him sitting there on the porch. He walked up, keys still in hand.  
“Zexion’s...not home.”  
Marluxia blanched. “He invited me over for three weeks...What do you mean he’s not home?”  
Vexen didn’t answer, and Marluxia’s gut wrenched. “I guess I’ll...go home. I’ve got enough to take care of stuff for three weeks, don’t I…?”   
He was mostly talking to himself, but Vexen looked over, curious. “Is your mother not home?”  
“Nah...She and my sister are going to Paris with a friend of hers, since I was going to be here….But it’s fine. I gotta get used to living on my own at some point.”  
Vexen moved to open the door. “You’re welcome to stay...The company would be nice.”  
Marluxia picked up his things and followed Vexen inside.   
“Do you remember where the guest room is?”  
“Yeah, thanks.” As Marluxia went past Vexen to go upstairs, something occurred to him and he turned back. “Hey, when is Zexion going to be home?”  
Vexen looked away. “Oh, well...He’ll be home in three weeks.”  
Marluxia blinked a few times as this news registered on him, and then his cheeks turned pink, and he quickly went to put his things in the guest room. He was going to be alone with Vexen for three weeks?! He wondered why Zexion would invite him over if he wasn’t even going to be home the entire time he was there?  
He decided to check his messages, and groaned aloud. There were about fifty new commission requests, and that was just scanning through the popups. He made a short post apologizing for his absence, and gave a quick explanation of what had been going on.  
marluxia.thebotanist : hey guys! so sorry for this late update lol, but my mom kicked my dad out, and then he assaulted me on campus. we’ve been dealing with all of that for a couple of weeks. i’m currently on christmas break, so i’ll be taking on some of the backlogged requests i’ve gotten while i’ve been offline.   
He looked up when there was a knock at the door. “Come in!”  
Vexen opened the door. He seemed like he was a bit lost in thought. “I was going to make myself tacos for dinner. What would you like instead? Oh have I caught you at a bad time?” He seemed to notice that Marluxia was on his computer.  
“Oh, not at all. I’m just responding to commission requests. Um, I’d be happy with a salad if you’ve got lettuce.”   
“Commission requests?” Vexen had come a bit further into the room.  
Marluxia sat up properly, and turned his screen to face Vexen, after making sure none of the examples he had up were of nudity. “Yeah, I get paid to draw things for people. Since my stuff is really detailed and I do full backgrounds, I usually do a full image of one person for about fifty dollars, but I’m always happy to negotiate on the prices as long as the person is being polite about it. I know that sometimes it’s hard to afford luxuries.”  
Vexen admired Marluxia’s work, then looked over at him. “Granted, I don’t know much about art, but I do think that you are undercharging.”  
Marluxia shrugged a little. No one had ever told him anything like that before, and coming from Vexen, it sent a shiver up his spine. “Do you want any help in the kitchen?”  
Vexen shook his head, leaving now. “No, I can handle it. Please, continue with your work.”  
Marluxia smiled a little, watching Vexen close the door before curling up on the bed, contacting the oldest to newest requests, with the same sort of general message.  
marluxia.thebotanist : hey, i know you messaged me a while ago, requesting this commission. i was wondering if you were still interested?  
It was easier to weed through the messages than he’d initially thought. Several people hadn’t read his rules thoroughly, so he politely refused their requests, and there were about five requests from inactive or deleted accounts. Lots of people didn’t respond right away, but there were about four who said they’d still like their commission, and paid him.  
He started work on one of them, only stopping when Vexen called him down for dinner. They ate together mostly in silence, that for Marluxia felt awkward, as butterflies flitted about in his stomach. Finally Vexen broke the silence.  
“The truth is that Zexion’s mother passed away from an illness just before Christmas while he was in middle school...Every year I take him to a center. I just want him to be safe, and happy, but being in this house every Christmas...it’s too hard for him.”  
Marluxia listened, not entirely sure what he should say, but he tried anyway. “What about you? It can’t be easy being alone every Christmas…”  
Vexen looked at Marluxia, then away again with a bit of a smile on his face. “I won’t be alone this Christmas. That is, unless you decide you’d rather be at home, of course.”  
Marluxia blushed. “No, I’d love to stay. I mean...I’d feel bad leaving you alone now that I know your sad backstory.”  
Vexen laughed.  
The two finished their dinner, chatting about different things, like the anime Marluxia watched, or the fact that Vexen loved to sing karaoke. Marluxia excused himself after helping Vexen with the dishes, explaining that he was working on a commission.  
“If you need company, though, let me know. I’ll bring my laptop down with me.”  
Vexen watched as the younger man went upstairs, a faint blush on his cheeks. Why did it fill him with so much joy to know that Marluxia would spend time with him just because he asked for it. It was strange feeling this way, and he tried to remember a time that something so simple made him so pleased. He couldn’t think of one.  
Marluxia heard Vexen’s door click closed after a while of working and he checked the time. Geez, midnight already? Well, he was almost done with this one. He finished the commission, and sent it to the customer. He stretched out, rubbing his eyes. He glanced back at his screen when he heard the notification sound of a new message. He opened it.  
kingofchill : Hey U dont know me but we R in class together  
kingofchill : This is gonna be the wierdest request Uve gotten for sure but I think U N prof vexen would be such a hot couple  
kingofchill : Can U pls do a commission of U guys having sex  
kingofchill : Ill pay U $200 for it N it can be whatever position U want  
kingofchill : Hell Ill pay $300 if U make it smthn U r rlly rlly into  
kingofchill : Wait no  
kingofchill : Can U do it wear prof vexen is on his knees w his hands tied behind him n blindfolded w U whipping him while U r wearing a bondage harness n thigh high boots  
kingofchill : Ill still pay $300 tho  
Marluxia felt his face burn and he knew that it was a bright red. He couldn’t even bring himself to respond for several long minutes.  
marluxia.thebotanist : i can do both for $300, but i have some other commissions that i need to complete beforehand, is that alright with you?  
kingofchill : Yea yea dont worry I dont want U 2 feel like U have 2 rush  
Marluxia logged off of his computer for the night, and put it back in his bag. He flopped back onto the bed, hands over his brilliantly red face. Did he really just accept that request? What was wrong with him? God… He wondered who the commissioner was. His first thought was that Larxene had made an alternative account to make fun of him with, but she wouldn’t be asking for anything not safe for work. His second thought was maybe Zexion, but he knew that he wouldn’t have any electronics on him, and why would the guy want to see his dad getting railed?  
He tried not to think about it anymore when he realized that he hardly knew any of his classmates in that class. Sleep didn’t come for him until the sun was already starting to shine in the window.   
Marluxia came down the stairs at about noon, and Vexen looked up from his newspaper. “Good afternoon...did you sleep well?”  
Marluxia jumped and avoided looking directly at the man, starting to blush again as he remembered the fact that he had accepted a commission of two sexual pieces between himself and the professor. “I actually had a bit of trouble getting to sleep, but it was fine otherwise.”  
“Insomnia? Do you need any medication?”   
“No, I was just working too late.”  
“Ah, I see. Would you like some coffee?”  
“Yeah, thanks.”   
Marluxia took the mug handed to him, and blinked at it. It was the same shade of pink as his hair, and had roses and hearts on it. “..What’s this?”  
Vexen looked over. “I went to the store earlier. There’s going to be a storm, and I wanted to be prepared in case anything happened. I thought you’d like to have your own mug while you stayed here. If you don’t like it, I could return it.”  
“No! I mean, no, I’ll use it. Thank you so much...It’s great.”  
“I thought you would like it. Most of your homework has doodles of little roses and heart on it.”  
Marluxia blushed. “I’m sorry--”  
“Don’t apologize. I rather enjoy it when I get such personalized papers. It’s a nice break from grading to see doodles.” Vexen smiled. “Grading can get quite boring with so many students.”  
Marluxia laughed a little. “Well, then, I’ll try to entertain you more, in that case!”  
Vexen smiled in return, looking at Marluxia with a softness in his eyes that the younger man didn’t notice.   
Marluxia brought his laptop into the living room to sit with Vexen, who turned on a channel that was playing Christmas movies. Vexen sipped his coffee, and watched Marluxia draw for a few minutes.  
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I was curious about what all you draw?”  
Marluxia glanced over. “It’s okay, I don’t mind the questions… Hm… Well, mostly I just draw whatever I get paid to do, but I don’t do some things, like extreme gore or machinery. I just started allowing simple armor recently.”  
“I see.” Vexen stayed quiet for a while. “Could I pay you to draw something for Zexion when he gets back?”  
Marluxia smiled a little. “Hey hey, if it’s for Zexion it can be free! Think of it as a Christmas present. But what kind of thing were you thinking?”  
“I don’t really know...and I don’t mind paying you.”  
“No way. I’m not letting you pay me for something for Zexion!” Marluxia pointed his stylus at Vexen threateningly, who graciously put his hands up in surrender.  
“Alright, alright...Ah, would you draw a character from his favorite book? It’s not a popular series, so there isn’t a lot as far as merchandise goes.”  
“I’d love to.”  
After that, the two had quite a relaxing day, with Marluxia knocking out his commissions while Vexen did crosswords. Neither of them were really watching the television, but it was nice background noise.   
Marluxia had a fun thing to post about in the morning, though.  
marluxia.thebotanist : hey guys! the place i’m staying at just got snowed in because of the storm we had last night. thankfully, the power’s still working, so i’ll be able to work on commissions, and i’m actually opening some more slots!


	5. Cold Damask

Marluxia checked his messages again. The only commission he hadn’t done yet was the ones with himself and Vexen, and he was putting those off as long as he could. He’d even done the gift for Zexion. He was going to print it off as a poster when he could leave the house to get to the library. He had even done a surprise for both Zexion and Vexen, which was an image of them on the couch together, watching Jeopardy and eating ice cream. Well, Zexion was on the couch, Vexen was standing and yelling at the television while pointing his spoon at it.   
He’d sent the image to both Zexion through text and Vexen through email with the caption, “Merry Christmas to a merry family.”  
Zexion wouldn’t see it until he was released, but that was just fine with Marluxia. Maybe it would make him feel a bit better.  
Vexen had given him the warmest smile Marluxia had ever seen, and offered getting him something in return, but Marluxia refused. It was enough to see the man so happy. Even so, Vexen was looking online for something he thought that the younger man would enjoy. He found a nice art tablet online, and into the cart it went, because the artist had complained once about how uncomfortable he got when he drew for such long hours, because he couldn’t shift around too much with the laptop.  
Vexen went up to check on Marluxia, knocking on the door lightly, and only entering when the other said he could. He saw that the laptop was open to Marluxia’s usual drawing application, but the page was blank, and the man was lying in bed, face in his pillow. That explained why his voice had been muffled.  
“Are you alright, Marluxia?” He leaned against the doorway in a casual manner, thumbs in his pockets.  
“Embarrassed-”  
“Hm? Embarrassed? What for?” Vexen’s brow creased, and finally the man looked up. His cheeks were about the same shade as his hair, and Vexen couldn’t help but think that the look suited him.  
Marluxia looked away, puffing out his cheeks. “I got a commission for a couple of...sexual...pieces… I’m embarrassed about drawing them in your house, because…”   
He trailed off, but Vexen thought he understood. If he drew the pieces, then he’d get turned on. “Who would I be to judge if you took some long showers? You weren’t planning on going three weeks without a shower, were you?”  
Marluxia looked back at Vexen now, who had an indulgent sort of smile on his face, making his eyes crease in the cutest sort of way. “No, but--”  
“My son is twenty years old, and believe it or not, I was once your age. I’m not unfamiliar with young men needing to...get release.”  
Of course, with him saying that, Marluxia couldn’t help but imagine Vexen when he was younger, masturbating. His cheeks turned redder and he put his face back in his pillow.  
“Well, I’ll be going, then.”  
“Wait! What if you need to use the bathroom while I’m in the shower, huh?!”   
“I have a key.”  
Marluxia let out an ungodly noise and Vexen couldn’t help but laugh as he started to leave the room.   
“It’s also not the only bathroom in the house. It’s just the nicest, since it was remodelled more recently.”  
Marluxia clutched his heart after the door shut behind Vexen, but he could still hear the blond’s laughter from the hall. He gave himself a few minutes to make sure he wasn’t having a heart attack, then picked up his computer.  
marluxia.thebotanist : hey, i’m about to start on your commissions. do you want them as i finish them, or wait until they’re both finished?  
marluxia.thebotanist : oh!!!!!!!!!!! i almost forgot to ask, but do you want them censored or uncensored?   
kingofchill : When they R both finished N uncensored  
kingofchill : Whats the payment method again  
Marluxia sent him the link to his TRANsaction account, and checked when he got the notification that he’d been paid.  
marluxia.thebotanist : hey, you know that you only have to pay half of the cost upfront, right? which would be $150.  
kingofchill : Yea I no but I wanted 2 do it all now  
marluxia.thebotanist : okay. i’ve just had a lot of people cuss me out when they find out afterward that i do it that way after their commission is finished.   
kingofchill : Isnt it the same amount no matter what way U pay it tho  
marluxia.thebotanist : that’s what i always want to say. T-T  
The pink-haired man opened his drawing application and started the sketch, but after a while he realized something. He liked accuracy in his drawings...and he had no idea how big Vexen was.   
marluxia.thebotanist : FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.  
kingofchill : Uh R U OK dude  
marluxia.thebotanist : I DON’T KNOW HOW BIG HE IS. IT WON’T BE ACCURATE. I’M SORRY.   
kingofhell : Oh thats all  
kingofhell : I thought U broke Ur….I dont know what U draw on but that  
kingofhell : Ive never seen U use capital letter B4   
marluxia.thebotanist : that would be because my friend broke my shift keys. i don’t bother with the hassle of using the caps lock button online, it’s tedious enough when i have to do reports. can you do me a favor and just pick his size?   
kingofchill : How about 7   
Marluxia puffed out his cheeks. If Vexen was seven inches, that would make him smaller than himself, but...hey. It was still a nice size.   
He was fine until he’d finished the base colors, that’s when it started to get uncomfortable to keep going. He got up and went to the bathroom, turning the shower on. He relaxed into the warm water, and wrapped his fingers loosely around his shaft, eyes closed as he imagined that it wasn’t his own hand. With the other hand, he reached back, rubbing at his own puckered hole before slipping a finger inside.  
When he’d finished, he realized that he hadn’t taken an actual shower in several days, and he turned to look at the soap options. Half of the shower was labelled Zexion, and the other Vexen. He hesitated a little, wondering if Vexen would think it was strange if he used his. Well, if he asked, he could always just say he thought it smelled better.  
After that, he finished that commission. It was pretty late already, but he was a bit too wound to even consider sleeping, so he headed downstairs, surprised to see Vexen on his own laptop in the living room.  
“You’re still up?”  
Vexen looked over, lowering his glasses and smiling. “I had some work emails to take care of, but I’m done now.”  
He shut his laptop and stretched his arms, revealing his midriff, and Marluxia’s cheeks reddened, but at least it was darker in the room with just the lamp on. He pried his eyes away, then sat with Vexen on the couch, who moved over a bit to give him more space, and Marluxia felt his heart drop a little.  
The blond turned the TV on. It was still turned to the Christmas channel. “I’ll go make us some popcorn, unless you want something else?”  
“I prefer kettle corn, honestly.” Marluxia gave an abashed grin.  
“That’s a relief. So do I.”  
They both got settled on the couch, the bowl between them. The movie that was playing just so happened to be a romantic one, and Marluxia felt a flicker of jealousy. It would end happily for them. He reached over to take some kettle corn from the bowl, eyes widening when instead he ended up grabbed onto a large hand instead.   
They looked at each other, and Vexen chuckled a little as Marluxia apologized and jerked his hand back.   
“Don’t be sorry. It comes with sharing popcorn, right? That’s the kind of thing they put in movies like this.” He sounded amused, and maybe...a little wistful? Marluxia was sure it was just his imagination, though.   
It happened a few more times, with Vexen grabbing Marluxia’s hand or vice versa. Eventually the bowl was empty, and Vexen moved the bowl to the coffee table before propping his feet up, and laying his arm across the back of the couch. Marluxia swallowed. He could feel Vexen’s fingers touching the ends of his hair from where it was on the couch, and he slid forward until he was barely on the couch anymore.  
“Marluxia?”  
He looked over at the sound of Vexen’s voice, and he saw the frown on the blond’s lips. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”  
“Ack! No! I...I was thinking about getting a drink is all.”   
“Oh. In that case, be my guest.”  
Marluxia went to the kitchen, grabbing at his hair, muttering to himself. He drank a glass of water, then returned to the living room, pausing in the doorway. Vexen was in the same position as earlier but he was in the middle of the couch, like he had been on the first night Marluxia had come over.   
The artist swallowed, but went and sat down, keenly aware of Vexen’s arm brushing the back of his neck, and how close the other man was to him. He was warm.   
Vexen looked over when he felt Marluxia shift, and his lips parted a bit. Was he asleep? “Marluxia?”  
When no response came, and the younger man’s head slid down onto his chest, Vexen smiled and returned his eyes to the television, though he picked up the blanket on the arm of the couch and covered Marluxia in it before loosely winding his arm around the man’s shoulders.


	6. Stellar Dendrites and Trimmings

Marluxia wasn’t expecting to wake up in Vexen’s arms, certainly, but he wasn’t complaining when he did. He tried pulling himself carefully away, but the man’s grip tightened on him, and he found he couldn’t move very far at all. His heart thudded, and he peeked up at the blond’s face.  
Vexen was asleep, and Marluxia could feel his chest moving with his light breathing, and could hear his heartbeat. Marluxia couldn’t tear his eyes away. Vexen looked so happy. He wondered what the man was dreaming of.  
Marluxia eventually closed his eyes, just enjoying this moment of closeness. It ended far too soon for his tastes. Vexen shifted under him, and let go, stretching his arms above his head. Marluxia couldn’t help how his heart skipped when he felt one of those large hands come back down and play with his hair, petting him for a moment.  
Vexen was careful getting up, not realizing that Marluxia was awake, and the pink-haired man didn’t want to make him realize otherwise, so he did his best to pretend he still was. The blond headed for the kitchen, and Marluxia waited until he could smell the coffee brewing before he sat up.  
He stretched, and yawned, and walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. “Morning…” He mumbled.  
“Good morning, Marluxia. How did you sleep?” Vexen turned, and he felt his heart race as he turned to see the smile on his student’s face. The rumpled up long sleeved shirt, riding up on one side to show off his hip...It looked quite nice on him, Vexen believed.  
“Pretty good. What about you? You seem refreshed.”  
“Yes, I slept very well.” Vexen turned back to the pancakes he was working on for their breakfast.   
Marluxia swallowed a bit, and looked away, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he took a seat at the table.   
“Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot to mention it, but the plows came through early this morning.” Vexen commented, and Marluxia looked up.  
“So you’re saying I can run away now?”  
Vexen seemed alarmed and then laughed when he realized Marluxia was joking. “As if I would let you leave freely.”  
“What are you going to do to stop me?”  
Vexen turned to look at Marluxia, and a shiver ran down the younger man’s spine at the expression his professor was giving him.   
“I could always tie you up in the basement. Don’t you know that you’re my prisoner until Zexion comes home?”  
Vexen wondered if he was pushing too far as the words left his lips, but when the blush that he so wanted to see appeared on Marluxia’s face, he decided he’d dare to go even further. He flicked the stove off so the pancakes wouldn’t burn and he crossed over to the table, gripping Marluxia’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, and guided his face up.   
He stared into the ocean of Marluxia’s gorgeous eyes. “You can’t escape me. Christmas break will end, and then you’ll be back in my classroom. I could give you detention.”  
Marluxia felt like he was going to explode. Even though he knew that there was no logical way that Vexen could have possibly brushed his teeth that morning, he smelled so fresh, and leaning over him like this...it was like a fantasy.  
The spell was broken when the doorbell rang, and Vexen slowly released Marluxia. He glanced at him, smiling at the way the man had instantly buried his face in his hands.   
“This isn’t over. If you try to run, I promise that I’ll get you later.”  
Marluxia couldn’t even fathom standing up at that moment, much less leaving the house. His pants felt much too tight. Did Vexen have any idea what he was doing to him? Why was this happening?  
“Miss Larxene, to what do I owe the pleasure?”  
Marluxia went pale as he heard those words, and he twisted in his chair, trying to see the front door. He could only see Vexen back, though.  
“Um- Hey, professor. Marluxia’s phone said he was here?”  
Damn it. He’d forgotten that she’d forced him to install the app that let her locate him.  
“He is. My son invited him to stay for Christmas break. I trust you didn’t have any plans?”  
“No, I’m just worried. I haven’t heard from him since break started.”  
Marluxia felt like it was safe to get up now, and he went to the door. Vexen glanced back, and stepped away.   
“I’ll let you two talk, then.” Vexen walked away, and Marluxia pleaded in his head that he wouldn’t listen in.  
“Oh my god, Marly! What the fuck are you doing here?!  
“Zexion invited me to stay.” He certainly wasn’t about to mention that he wasn’t even there to her. She’d make a huge fuss out of nothing. Again.  
“God...of course you’d say yes! What were you thinking?”  
“I was thinking it would be nice to spend time with a friend.”  
“But Professor Vexen-”  
“Is actually a person outside of being our professor.”  
Marluxia glanced back into the house. He could see the blond at the stove, within earshot. “I’m fine, okay? I’ll call you later.”  
She protested as he closed the door in her face, but if she stayed there any longer, his crush would definitely be blown out of the water. He went back into the kitchen where Vexen had plated up some pancakes for both of them.  
They ate quietly, even as Marluxia’s heart thudded in his chest, expecting something like earlier to happen, but Vexen made no such move. Like usual, Marluxia helped with the dishes, and then they parted for the day.  
“Do you have any requests from the store, Marluxia?” Vexen had asked as he put his coat on.  
Marluxia had shook his head. There wasn’t anything he could think of that he’d need.   
“Alright, then, I’ll be back later.”  
“Okay. Be safe.”  
“I will.”  
Marluxia sat on the bed, head in his hands now. Today had been so strangely stressful, and he looked at his laptop bag out of the corner of his eye before sighing and getting up to retrieve it. The experience from earlier had given him some ideas for the other commission.  
Vexen had come home, and they’d eaten dinner together, and then Marluxia had disappeared back upstairs to work. It was well after dawn now, and he stretched out his arms, admiring the finished product. The one that was something he was into.  
Vexen was riding him, and Marluxia’s arms were tied to a headboard, a gag in his mouth as Vexen used a scalpel to carve his name into Marluxia’s chest. He glanced at the clock. It was a decent enough time for a shower, right?  
He was thankful he didn’t run into Vexen on the way into the bathroom. It was quick this time, much faster than before, and he attributed that to being so tired. After his shower, he returned to the guest room.  
marluxia.thebotanist : nsfwcommission1.png  
marluxia.thebotanist : nsfwcommission2.png  
marluxia.thebotanist : thank you so much for your patronage.   
He turned off his laptop now, and put it away. He picked up his phone, and called Larxene. He told her about the commission he’d gotten, and she vowed to find out who sent the requests for him.   
“You sound tired. You should sleep.”  
“Nah...I think Vexen’s up now.”  
“Ooooh, no professor? What’s going on between you two?”  
“Nothing-!”  
There was a knock at his door. “Marluxia, are you alright? I didn’t really see you yesterday.”  
Marluxia hung up on Larxene before she could comment, and he went over to open the door. Vexen looked him over.   
“You look exhausted. Didn’t you sleep?”  
Marluxia shrugged. “I was busy drawing. The time just kind of flew.”  
“Hmmm...Well you should get some sleep.”  
“I’m okay.”   
He moved forward, and stumbled a bit, falling against Vexen's chest, who caught him, holding him up.   
“Please...get some rest. I’ll wake you for lunch.”   
Marluxia wanted to argue, but being in his arms like this, and so tired, he very nearly leaned up to kiss him, so he allowed Vexen to lead him to the bed, and he laid down. Vexen flicked the light off, then let the room, gently shutting the door behind him.  
He faded in and out of sleep for a while, and he heard the distinct noise of his phone going off, so he shuffled to check it. He’d gotten another $300…?  
marluxia.thebotanist : hey, did you send me another $300?   
kingofchill : Yea, it’s a tip  
Marluxia tried to refund it, but every time he attempted, it was rejected. He grit his teeth. He was way too tired to deal with this. He’d do it after some sleep…


	7. Snowy Reds

Vexen came to wake him at two in the afternoon, and he stumbled down the stairs, still exhausted. Lunch was a quiet affair on his end, though Vexen did try to chat with him. He was given a sympathetic look, then was made a cup of coffee.   
Marluxia thanked the man, and offered to do the dishes by himself this time. The professor thanked, rubbing his neck and saying that he should really be working on setting up the coursework for after break.   
With dishes all cleaned, Marluxia decided to go out for a while. He went upstairs to grab his laptop bag, then knocked on Vexen’s door. He told him he was going to be out for a while, and that he might be back late. He didn’t get much of a response other than a sigh, and then a somewhat disgruntled sounding “Alright.”   
He went to the library first, printing off the poster for Zexion, and he browsed for a while to kill some time. An idea made him leave rather quickly, and he headed to the store.   
Marluxia strolled through the aisles until he came to the calendar section, with datebooks and the like. There was a really nice one, in dark blue with a silver snowflake on the front, which he put in his cart. He also grabbed a nice, soft scarf in the same pale shade of grey that Vexen’s favorite sweater was. Well, Marluxia assumed it was his favorite, since he wore it so often. He grabbed some wrapping paper, and a couple of boxes. He also grabbed some star-shaped labels.   
He took his purchases to his car, and wrapped them up. He’d also picked up a new book for Zexion, so that there wouldn’t be any imbalance. It was a fantasy adventure with some sci-fi themes, so he hoped it would be alright. It was getting to be evening now, and he spied a neon sign, and he pulled into the parking lot.  
He’d only been in here once before, but even so, the bartender looked up as he came in and gave him a wide grin.   
“Hey you! Been a while since you’ve been in here. I was worried about you.”  
It was the town’s only gay bar, called Xig’s Bar. Most people didn’t know it was a gay bar until they went in. It was owned and run by Xigbar, who was leaning on the counter now.  
“What can I get for you?”  
“Eh...can I just get a soda?”  
“Sure.”  
He sipped at his soda, sitting at the bar, then got up to dance for a while. He could feel lots of eyes on him, but he didn’t care. He was starting to come out now, slowly, person by person in his life. It was...freeing.   
He wasn’t expecting to see Vexen there, certainly, even less so to be grabbing his wrists.   
“Ah?! What are you doing here?”  
“I...wanted to get a drink.”  
“You know this is a gay bar, right?”  
“Oh, is it?”  
There was an awkwardness for a time before Marluxia and Vexen moved off the dance floor, sitting at the bar together. Vexen ordered some kind of cocktail, and Marluxia got another soda. He wasn’t very fond of drinking and driving, even if he wasn’t drunk.   
As the silence stretched, he decided to head back to the house, so he bid Xigbar a farewell, who had been leaning on the counter near them, and told Vexen he’d see him later.  
marluxia.thebotanist : hey everyone, this is my coming out post. I’m gay. i’ve got a crush on this guy… and i don’t know if it will go anywhere, but even just talking to him feels really good. do any of you have advice about how to get him to notice me? things get really awkward sometimes.  
He put his post on his social media board, and then drew something just for himself for a while. He didn’t draw flowers as much as he liked, because he was usually too busy with commissions, but during the holidays he tended to get much fewer than normal. Because most people don’t go Christmas shopping for artwork. That reminded him of the gifts in his car, so he retrieved them from his car and stuck them under the tree. He hadn’t noticed before, but there were other presents already there.   
Marluxia heard the front door open, and the sound of Vexen’s footsteps trudging up the stairs. He waited until he was sure that the blond was already in his room before going up to the guest room, where he resumed drawing for a while, but he was too anxious. He checked his notifications.   
rhythmofwaves : Ooooh! Marly, you gotta tell me about your crush! Oh yeah, and I wanted to commission something for Saix, if that’s okay. It’s Demyx, by the way. I don’t think we’ve talked on here before.  
marluxia.thebotanist : i don’t think we have either, usually we just text, right? and yeah, i’d love to do something for you. i don’t discount friends though, just so you know.  
rhythmofwaves : Haha yeah, I text you pretty often, huh? I wouldn’t expect a discount either. Um. So, I’m out of town with family, and I can’t send Saix anything… I was hoping you could draw me in...well. A sexy Christmas outfit for him?  
Marluxia couldn’t help chuckling a bit.  
marluxia.thebotanist : no problem, dem. and i’ll text you later.  
It was a bit of a relief that it wasn’t fully nude, at least. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle drawing his friend like that. He decided to start the next day, and he went to bed. He woke up to the sounds of laughing downstairs and he blinked groggily, before changing and heading down the stairs.   
“Marluxia, hey!”  
“Zexion, you’re--” He stopped himself from saying home. “You’re back. It’s been three weeks already? Geez.”  
“Time sure flies, huh? Haha, nah. I got out early this year. I wanted to actually be home for Christmas.”  
They both looked over as Vexen came back into the living, carrying three boxes. Each of them was addressed as from Santa, and there was one for each of them. “Morning presents.”  
Marluxia was urged to open his first, as the guest, and flushed a bit when he pulled a set of the exact same soap that Vexen used, and he laughed a little nervously. “Do I smell that bad?”  
The other two laughed, and Vexen even leaned over to sniff him, an odd expression crossing his face as he noticed how he smelled. “No, you don’t smell bad at all.”  
Marluxia snuck glances at Vexen as Zexion went next. Did he do this…? Zexion pulled a stationery kit out of his box.   
“Nice, I’ve been wanting one of these.”   
Vexen’s turn now, and he got a new sweater, in green. He smiled a bit. “Thank you, Santa.”  
Marluxia let out a sigh as Vexen left the room, he guessed to put the sweater away, and he looked over at Zexion. “Did your dad really buy me soap?”  
Zexion looked surprised. “No...I did. I thought you’d like it, it’s pretty floral.”  
The blush faded from the artist’s cheeks finally. “Oh...It’s the same kind your dad uses…”  
“Oh...I’m sorry. I don’t really pay that much attention.” Zexion frowned a bit, feeling a twinge of guilt for getting his friend’s hopes up.  
Marluxia waved off his apologies. He grinned a bit and tilted his head. “Don’t worry so much about it, it’s not your fault I have such bad gay panic.”  
Zexion laughed at that.  
The three of them split off to all do their own things after their communal breakfast. Zexion went to read, and Vexen went to his office, admitting he’d been putting off doing his grading for too long already with a sheepish smile. Marluxia decided to work on Demyx’s commission.  
He got it done without too many issues, and sent it off to Demyx with a winky face.   
marluxia.thebotanist : i get the feeling that when you get back to town, you’re not going to escape saix’s paws for a while.  
rhythmofwaves : Waah, it’s true! He hardly ever lets go of me when I’ve been away for just a weekend swim meet, so this will be particularly bad. T-T  
marluxia.thebotanist : hm, why are you complaining? should i tell saix to go easy on you?  
rhythmofwaves : BWAAAAAAH, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON’T!!!!!!!!!!  
marluxia.thebotanist : hah, don’t worry, i won’t.   
rhythmofwaves : You better not if you know what’s good for you.  
rhythmofwaves : Oh! Yeah! Congratulations on your graduation by the way, I heard you already got your degree? That’s so awesome. Guess this means I won’t see you in school anymore. T-T.  
marluxia.thebotanist : aw, don’t cry. i still have to finish out vexen’s class for the year.   
rhythmofwaves : Huh?? Why?   
marluxia.thebotanist : honestly, his class was something i was taking for fun. haha.  
Marluxia jumped when he heard a knock on his door and shut his laptop quickly.   
“Hey, it’s time for the rest of the presents! Meet you in the living room.”  
“Be right there!”  
Marluxia let out a breath and touched his chest before getting up and then coming down. Zexion and Vexen were already on the couch, and it reminded him of the first time he’d come over. The memory made him smile, and he sat next to Vexen. The presents sat in front of them on the coffee table, and they each grabbed one of theirs to open.   
Marluxia’s mouth dropped open. Vexen had bought him a very expensive art tablet, and he ran his fingers over the box, not even seeing the warm, and gentle smile on his face as Vexen opened the planner he’d bought for him.   
“Marluxia, this is so awesome!” Zexion had pulled out the poster, leaning around his dad to grin at the pink-haired man.  
“It was your dad’s idea.”  
“Well, thanks to both of you then. I love it.”  
Marluxia smiled, and they all grabbed another present. Zexion had given him some blood meal.   
“Hey, this is really thoughtful, Zexion, thanks! My roses will love this.”  
“Oooo, I didn’t know there was another book in the series! Thanks dad.”  
“Thank you for the cologne, son.”   
As Vexen and Zexion opened their other gifts, Marluxia hugged the tablet to his chest. Zexion excused himself to get a snack, and Vexen turned to look at Marluxia now.  
“Do you like it? You mentioned how much of a pain your laptop was.”  
“Yes, this is...perfect. Thank you, Vexen.”  
Vexen’s smile was warm, and so handsome. Marluxia’s heart was pounding, and it almost stopped when he felt the man’s palms cup his face. He closed his eyes, dazed, enjoying the touch, and his cheeks went scarlet when he felt another pair of lips press against his own.   
“Merry Christmas, Marluxia.”  
Vexen’s breath was still minty, and cool against his skin, especially when he leaned down and pressed his lips to Marluxia’s neck next.


	8. Red and White

Marluxia was still sitting in shock after Vexen had moved away, and Zexion had come back. The lights off now, the three sat on the couch together to watch some Christmas movies together. He couldn’t shake the thought that maybe it was just a hallucination, but then Vexen reached over and took his hand under the cover of the darkness.  
Marluxia’s heart was pounding in his chest now, and he swallowed before daring to lace his fingers through Vexen’s, who offered no resistance. After a few movies, Marluxia was starting to feel drowsy, so he removed his hand from Vexen’s, who looked over at him in confusion.   
“Goodnight to you both.” He stood and went up stairs, the voices of the two in the living room wishing him pleasant dreams following him out.   
He checked his phone when he woke, and he raised his eyebrows a bit. His mom and sister were home already? Geez, time really did fly. Break would be over in another week, and it would be back to usual. Well, mostly.   
He told Vexen and Zexion that he’d be going back home that day, and he felt a twinge in his heart at the disappointment that flashed across Vexen’s face.   
“Thank you so much for having me. It was really nice.” He smiled, and went upstairs to pack his things.   
There was a knock on the door shortly after. “Come in!”  
Vexen shut the door behind him, and leaned back against it as he watched Marluxia fold his clothes. Blue eyes met his after several long minutes, and that blush that he’d come to adore darkened Marluxia’s pale cheeks.   
“Ah, Vexen...What’s up?”  
He didn’t answer right away, instead moving over and cupping Marluxia’s cheek in his hand. “I lost track of time. I didn’t think you’d be leaving so soon.”  
“I...Um…”  
“Shhh…” Vexen leaned in, placing his lips to his student’s. They were warm, and even though they were slightly cracked from the cold, they felt wonderful.   
When he pulled back, Vexen stroked the artist’s cheek with his finger. “I’ve come to grow quite fond of you. Perhaps you’d like to accompany me to dinner some night?”  
“I...I would love to.” Marluxia sounded breathless, and Vexen smiled.  
“Alright then. I’ll email you more details.”  
Marluxia watched his professor leave, gripping the shirt he had been holding the whole time. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Wow.”  
He folded the shirt, a smile on his face that he couldn’t shake, then zipped his suitcase. He gave Zexion a hug, and then drove home. His mother and sister seemed really happy, and they both showed off the new clothes they’d gotten. He complimented them, and then his mom looked at him.  
“You seem like you had a good time. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you smile like that.”  
“Ah, yeah. It was really fun.”  
Zexion cornered his dad in the kitchen. He was whistling, which wasn’t something that was usual for him.   
“How was break, dad?”  
“It was pleasant.”  
Zexion narrowed his eyes a little. “I saw you leave the guest room. You looked pretty happy...What were you and Marluxia talking about?”  
Vexen paused his cooking, then stirred again. “Nothing terribly important.”  
“Really?”  
“Zexion, I don’t know what you’re trying to get at.”  
The younger man puffed out his cheeks. “Did something happen while I was gone?”  
“Other than the blizzard, there was nothing of notice.”  
“Dad, you’re into him, aren’t you?”  
Vexen slowly set his wooden spoon down, and turned to look at his son. “And if I am?”  
Zexion let out a sigh. “I think it would be good for you to date someone. And Marluxia really is a great guy. So...Just...I don’t want to see anything, okay? Keep it in the bedroom.”  
With that he walked away, leaving his father to stare after him with his mouth hanging open.   
On Monday, it was class as usual, and Larxene was still grumbling about having to sit in the front row. Marluxia shushed her several times. He enjoyed watching Vexen at the front of the class. There was something about a successful man that really made him giddy.  
As the class was leaving, Vexen moved up to Marluxia. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”  
“Sure.”  
Marluxia followed Vexen into his office, adjusting the strap on his bag and smiling a little up at his professor. “So is there a problem with my doodles?”  
“Hm? Ha! No. I was...wondering...There’s an art gallery opening a few towns over. Would you go with me?”  
Marluxia’s blue eyes widened a bit. “Like...a date?”  
Vexen gave a bit of a smile. “Yeah. If you want it to be one.”  
“Yes! Erm, both to it being a date and us going to the art gallery. You know, I feel like at this point you should just have my phone number.”  
Vexen laughed and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Here, you can put it in.”  
“Before our date? Are you sure?”  
The elder’s cheeks darkened, and he froze up. “I-”  
Marluxia smirked a bit, pushing his phone into his hands. With a quick request for his professor to text him later, he left the room as Vexen’s next class started to filter in. Vexen had to take a few minutes to regain his composure before going out in front of his students.  
At lunch, as Larxene was prattling on about her break, and the plans she was making with a friend of hers that she met at a club, Marluxia felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he pulled his phone out.  
‘This is Vexen. The opening is Wednesday night at 8:30. If you’d like, I can pick you up at 7, and we can grab a bite before the gallery.’  
Marluxia hummed in response to one of Larxene’s questions that didn’t need a response, and messaged the man back.  
‘Why don’t I pick you up? I’ve got some stuff to do Wednesday anyway.’  
‘Alright. That gives Zexion access to a car if he needs one…’  
‘Does he not have his own car???’  
‘No. He wants to save up for one himself.’  
‘Oh, that’s awesome.’  
“Marluxia, are you even listening to me?” Larxene snatched the man’s phone from his hands, and looked at it. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped.  
“Are you texting Vexen? Are you serious?!”  
Marluxia tried to snatch his phone, but Larxene dodged and stood, quickly reading the texts. “Oh my god, oh my god!”  
“Larxene, give it back!”   
“I can’t believe that you’re going on a date with him!”  
Marluxia grabbed his phone out of her hand, and huffed a bit. “I can do what I want. We’re both adults.”  
They argued a bit as Marluxia walked her to her next class, but as always, they returned to joking around, or casual chatting. He knew Larxene was just worried about him, but he didn’t really think anything bad would happen. It was just one date.


	9. Pink Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for forgetting to post a chapter yesterday. Things have been hectic lately. Chapters may go from being every Thursday to every other Thursday. Writer’s block has kinda been kicking me, and I can only focus for a couple of paragraphs. Sorry guys!

Wednesday came by and Marluxia was excited to the depths of his core. After class he went to a job interview at the botanical gardens where he charmed them with both his knowledge of plant life and his cheerful attitude.   
He’d been invited out to lunch by his mom and Keeya, and he joined them at the table in the fancy restaurant. He felt a little underdressed, and he thought that he should definitely change before the gallery with Vexen. He noticed how nervous the women seemed, but he didn’t pry into it.  
“I think my interview went well, they said they’d call me in a few days.”  
“That’s amazing honey! I’m so proud of you.”  
“You know, there are some places in Italy that I’m sure you would just adore. Perhaps sometime you should come with me?” Keeya smiled at him and Marluxia smiled back.  
“Yeah, that sounds great.”  
Their food arrived and the three of them ate for a while, with mild chit chat here and there before Rose cleared her throat.   
“Marluxia, I, no. We have some news..” She trailed off, watching her son’s face. Marluxia was a bit confused.  
“Your mother and I are dating.” Keeya finished.  
Marluxia smiled. “Oh, is that all?”  
Rose blinked. “Huh? You’re not...mad or-”  
“Mom, come on. You and Keeya have been close for years. I’m just glad you’re with someone who will treat you right.”  
Rose smiled and Keeya reached over to squeeze her hand. For the rest of their meal, all tension had subsided, and they joked around.  
“Ah geez, I’ve gotta get going. I...have a date tonight.”  
“Oh! Have fun sweetie.”  
Marluxia stood, and pulled some money out of his wallet. Rose and Keeya tried to argue about it, but Marluxia set the bills on the table and left.  
He went home to relax for a bit, and find something more suitable for an art gallery date. He put on some deodorant, considering how he’d been running around all day. He sat on his bed for a few minutes, giving himself a minute to just breathe.   
Marluxia started driving to Vexen’s house, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flower shop, and decided to make a quick stop. He browsed for a while before purchasing three roses, one red, one pink, and one white. He didn’t know if Vexen knew about Victorian flower language, but he hoped he’d at least be able to get the idea.  
He knocked gently on the door, and Vexen opened it shortly after. He offered the blonde the flowers, putting his right hand forward. Vexen blinked, and then smiled.   
“I should have expected to get flowers from a botanist, but somehow you caught me by surprise.”  
Marluxia smiled delicately, and Vexen went back inside to put the roses in a glass.   
“Add some ice. They’ll stay vibrant longer.”  
“Ah, really? I can’t say that doesn’t make sense…” The man came back, and reached out, taking hold of Marluxia’s hand as they walked to the pink-haired man’s car.   
On the drive, they chatted about how their days had been, Marluxia talking about his interview, and Vexen talking about grading.  
“I swear, some of my students don’t seem to care that they’ll fail. For some, that means losing their scholarships…”  
“Oh no, being a professor sounds stressful. It’s a shame there isn’t a student that makes up for it.”  
“There is one, actually. He’s rather smart, and quite sweet. I also hear gossip from other students about him. He’s quite popular with the ladies, though he would definitely break all of their hearts.”  
“Hmm? Why is that?”  
“Because he likes men, of course.” Vexen smiled, and touched Marluxia’s leg with a gentle hand, for just a moment.   
Marluxia found a decent parking spot, and got out. He walked around the car to open the door for Vexen, and offered his hand. Vexen smiled and took it. They went inside together.   
It was several hours of enjoyment, of each other’s company and art. BUt the gallery had to close, forcing them back out to the car.   
“Would you like to stay over tonight?” Vexen asked and Marluxia looked over with a smile.   
“Well, alright. I do like seeing Zexion, after all.” He laughed a little.   
But when they arrived, Vexen’s car was gone. “Ah, Zexion must be out, then.”  
The two went to watch television together, Marluxia leaning against Vexen, with the elder man’s arm around his waist. It was a good moment, blissful, even. Vexen leaned down, pressing his lips to Marluxia’s hair and the botanist turned to look at him, and was rewarded with a kiss.   
When Marluxia was just starting to nod off against Vexen’s shoulder, the elder man pulled him to his feet. The botanist made mild noises of protest, but Vexen persisted, and lead Marluxia up to his bedroom. In his drowsy state, it took Marluxia several minutes to process that he was crawling into Vexen’s bed. He laid his head on the blond’s chest, and Vexen stroked his hair.   
Marluxia fell asleep, cuddled up to Vexen, and the elder man reached out to his bedside table, picking up a book, and read for a while. It was difficult, maneuvering around the sleeping man’s body, but he managed.


	10. Petals of Snow

Wednesday came by and Marluxia was excited to the depths of his core. After class he went to a job interview at the botanical gardens where he charmed them with both his knowledge of plant life and his cheerful attitude.   
He’d been invited out to lunch by his mom and Keeya, and he joined them at the table in the fancy restaurant. He felt a little underdressed, and he thought that he should definitely change before the gallery with Vexen. He noticed how nervous the women seemed, but he didn’t pry into it.  
“I think my interview went well, they said they’d call me in a few days.”  
“That’s amazing honey! I’m so proud of you.”  
“You know, there are some places in Italy that I’m sure you would just adore. Perhaps sometime you should come with me?” Keeya smiled at him and Marluxia smiled back.  
“Yeah, that sounds great.”  
Their food arrived and the three of them ate for a while, with mild chit chat here and there before Rose cleared her throat.   
“Marluxia, I, no. We have some news..” She trailed off, watching her son’s face. Marluxia was a bit confused.  
“Your mother and I are dating.” Keeya finished.  
Marluxia smiled. “Oh, is that all?”  
Rose blinked. “Huh? You’re not...mad or-”  
“Mom, come on. You and Keeya have been close for years. I’m just glad you’re with someone who will treat you right.”  
Rose smiled and Keeya reached over to squeeze her hand. For the rest of their meal, all tension had subsided, and they joked around.  
“Ah geez, I’ve gotta get going. I...have a date tonight.”  
“Oh! Have fun sweetie.”  
Marluxia stood, and pulled some money out of his wallet. Rose and Keeya tried to argue about it, but Marluxia set the bills on the table and left.  
He went home to relax for a bit, and find something more suitable for an art gallery date. He put on some deodorant, considering how he’d been running around all day. He sat on his bed for a few minutes, giving himself a minute to just breathe.   
Marluxia started driving to Vexen’s house, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flower shop, and decided to make a quick stop. He browsed for a while before purchasing three roses, one red, one pink, and one white. He didn’t know if Vexen knew about Victorian flower language, but he hoped he’d at least be able to get the idea.  
He knocked gently on the door, and Vexen opened it shortly after. He offered the blonde the flowers, putting his right hand forward. Vexen blinked, and then smiled.   
“I should have expected to get flowers from a botanist, but somehow you caught me by surprise.”  
Marluxia smiled delicately, and Vexen went back inside to put the roses in a glass.   
“Add some ice. They’ll stay vibrant longer.”  
“Ah, really? I can’t say that doesn’t make sense…” The man came back, and reached out, taking hold of Marluxia’s hand as they walked to the pink-haired man’s car.   
On the drive, they chatted about how their days had been, Marluxia talking about his interview, and Vexen talking about grading.  
“I swear, some of my students don’t seem to care that they’ll fail. For some, that means losing their scholarships…”  
“Oh no, being a professor sounds stressful. It’s a shame there isn’t a student that makes up for it.”  
“There is one, actually. He’s rather smart, and quite sweet. I also hear gossip from other students about him. He’s quite popular with the ladies, though he would definitely break all of their hearts.”  
“Hmm? Why is that?”  
“Because he likes men, of course.” Vexen smiled, and touched Marluxia’s leg with a gentle hand, for just a moment.   
Marluxia found a decent parking spot, and got out. He walked around the car to open the door for Vexen, and offered his hand. Vexen smiled and took it. They went inside together.   
It was several hours of enjoyment, of each other’s company and art. BUt the gallery had to close, forcing them back out to the car.   
“Would you like to stay over tonight?” Vexen asked and Marluxia looked over with a smile.   
“Well, alright. I do like seeing Zexion, after all.” He laughed a little.   
But when they arrived, Vexen’s car was gone. “Ah, Zexion must be out, then.”  
The two went to watch television together, Marluxia leaning against Vexen, with the elder man’s arm around his waist. It was a good moment, blissful, even. Vexen leaned down, pressing his lips to Marluxia’s hair and the botanist turned to look at him, and was rewarded with a kiss.   
When Marluxia was just starting to nod off against Vexen’s shoulder, the elder man pulled him to his feet. The botanist made mild noises of protest, but Vexen persisted, and lead Marluxia up to his bedroom. In his drowsy state, it took Marluxia several minutes to process that he was crawling into Vexen’s bed. He laid his head on the blond’s chest, and Vexen stroked his hair.   
Marluxia fell asleep, cuddled up to Vexen, and the elder man reached out to his bedside table, picking up a book, and read for a while. It was difficult, maneuvering around the sleeping man’s body, but he managed.


End file.
